Saturday, July 5, 2014

Wallpaper "Can Brazil win without Neymar?"

*'Us and them played a violent game, It was a corner kick when Neymar went in front and he came to stop the ball, but the referee decided and there is no point thinking about a punishment.*

"Everyone knows he's going to be hunted, for three matches that has been happening." Scolari was furious that Juan Zuniga’s challenge on Neymar a few minutes from the end of a contest that contained more fouls than any other game in the World Cup was not punished by even a yellow card by the Spanish referee, Carlos Carballo. Silva’s attempt to block a goal -kick, however, earned Brazil’s first goalscorer the yellow card that will see him suspended for the semi-final.

The match contained 53 fouls, twice as many as yesterday’s other quarter-final between France and Germany. Colombia’s main threat, James Rodriguez was ruthlessly targeted by Fernandinho. “I think when the referee sees a replay of the game he will see some of our players being slightly tougher than they should have been,” said Scolari with some degree of understatement.

Brazil striker Neymar's World Cup is over and the loss of their talisman and top goalscorer to injury leaves manager Luiz Felipe Scolari with a big headache ahead of their semi-final against Germany on Tuesday.

And team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar told local media in Brazil that Neymar will not kick another ball at the finals, expecting his recovery period to be at least four weeks.

'It's not serious in the sense that it doesn't need surgery, but he'll need to immobilize it to recover,' he told SportTV. 'Unfortunately, he's not going to be able to play.

Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Soclari, speaking before Lasmar's interview, said: 'I don't thinkhe'll be able to play in the next match. Anxious wait: Brazil fans sit outside the Sao Carlos Hospital after Neymar is taken in.

Few players in the 23-man squad have Neymar's ability to change a game with a jink, a pass or a perfectly flighted free kick and center forwards Fred or Jo do not pose the same threat in front of goal.

At this tournament Brazil have not been a one-man team, but they have been a one-man attack, so the news Neymar will miss the rest of the tournament with a broken vertebra is a colossal setback. Brazil simply do not have anything approaching an adequate replacement, and Scolari must now completely re-format his side in an attempt to win his second World Cup.

There are two options for Scolari. The obvious choice is to introduce another attacking player, maintaining the 4-2-3-1 system he has played throughout the tournament, with the Chelsea playmaker Oscar brought inside into the No10 role he played at the Confederations Cup last year. His central position makes Brazil more cohesive, and more of a team – Oscar is capable of dropping deep to help the midfield, can drift towards either flank to allow the wingers inside, and he man-marks opposition deep-lying playmakers expertly.